SATURDAY: Again, we suggest that you pity the child!

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2025

A passage from Mary Trump's book: Is something wrong with President Trump?

Yesterday afternoon, at the White House, there he went again!

In the past week, the commander's approval ratings have been in decline in several major polls. When ABC News asked him about this apparent decline, he offered this crazy remark:

TRUMP (2/21/25): Who do you work for?

REPORTER: I work for ABC News, sir.

TRUMP: No wonder. Let me just tell you— 

Let me just tell you that I have today the highest poll numbers I’ve ever had.  I have today the highest poll numbers of any Republican president ever. 

We haven’t even checked the Democrats, but that’s what I was just told. And they like the job that we’re doing. They like the job that Elon’s doing. He’s doing something that a lot of people wouldn’t have the courage to do.

The gentleman continued from there. You can watch the videotape by clicking over to Michael Luciano's report for Mediaite.

Fellow citizens, riddle us this:

Does the commander really have "the highest poll numbers of any Republican president ever?" 

It is of course always possible that that's what he "was just told." But anyone with a tiny knowledge of American politics would know that that presentation is just this side of insane, with that word being used in the colloquial sense.

Is something actually wrong with this man? Why would a major political figure insist on making ludicrous factual claims over and over and over again, over the course of many years?

There are various ways to imagine an answer. For today, we'd like to make two points:

In yesterday morning's report, we discussed the apparent challenges faced by children who have the misfortune to be born to a parent who is a "sociopath." 

We suggested that you should pity the child. (In certain cases which may result, you should also remove that child's power, as an adult, to do harm to himself or to others.)

Meanwhile, doggone it! Yesterday morning, we couldn't find a particular passage in Mary L. Trump's best-selling book where she described the challenges faced by such unfortunate children. 

Yesterday afternoon, we found it! For the record, you can see that passage below. 

The "Mary" and "Fred" in this passage are President's Trump's parents—Mary L. Trump's paternal grandparents. Reference is being made to the severe medical disabilities developed by President Trump's mother when he was just two years old:

MARY L. TRUMP (page 24): Whereas Mary was needy, Fred seemed to have no emotional needs at all. In fact, he was a high-functioning sociopath. Although uncommon, sociopathy is not rare, affecting as much as 3 percent of the population...Having a sociopath as a parent, especially if there is no one else around to mitigate the effects, all but guarantees severe disruption in how children understand themselves, regulate their emotions, and engage with the world. My grandmother was ill equipped to deal with the problems caused in her marriage by Fred's callousness...

Since Mary was physically and emotionally absent due to her injuries, Fred became, by default, the only available parent...

Mary L. Trump spends the first fifty pages of her book describing the dynamics of President Trump's upbringing. That includes the way he was shipped off to military school at age 12 or 13, a reaction to what she describes as his uncontrollable antisocial behavior. 

In these passages, Mary L. Trump seems to be relying on her own later observations, but also on things he's been told by other family members. That including President Trump's older sister, Mary L. Trump's aunt.

When the book appeared in July 2020, People magazine provided what may have been the most detailed account of what Mary L. Trump said about her uncle's upbringing. 

To peruse that detailed report, click here. Toay, we advise you again to pity the child, even as you may despair about the extremely strange behaviors which keep emerging from the adult.

Also this:

Yesterday, we mentioned the so-called "playroom of broken toys" with which the president has surrounded himself in this, his second term. We referred to the highly unusual childhood experiences several of those high-profile figures seem to have had.

We specifically cited one example. There are four or five others, perhaps not excluding the childhood experiences of the president himself.

We can't tell you if Mary L. Trump's various assessments are accurate. As we noted yesterday, it's possible that people like Dr. Bandy X. Lee could have helped us gain a fuller understanding of the issues raised by Mary L. Trump.

For better or worse, our treasured elites in Blue America have ruled against the pursuit of such possible knowledge, understanding, wisdom.

We live inside a childish discourse. Over here in Blue America, we rarely seem to be fully aware of that unmistakable fact.

Does President Trump actually have the highest poll ratings ever?  Obviously, the answer is no. Colloquially speaking, the utterly ridiculous claim is just this side of insane.

Every sane person would instantly know that. Once again, we ask the question which isn't permitted:

Is it possible that something is "wrong" with this powerful man? As you ponder that complex question, we advise you, once again, to push your own powers of empathy to the point where you're able to imagine and pity the child.